In the Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales (Penguin Classics)

Rating:
Summary: A rich collection of Dunsany's tales
Review: Lord Dunsany may never get the vast following of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, but he does have the distinction of being one of the first fantasy writers in history. "In The Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales" is a collection of various stories he wrote, drawing from all of Dunsany's writing.

Among the longish (none of Dunsany's stories is really long) is Dunsany's short novel "Gods of Pegana," a collection of Dunsany's invented myths for countries that never really existed, and the novella "Sword of Welleran," in which legends come to life, including the famed sword of a hero. Not to mention a vast variety of short stories ranging from murder mysteries ("Two Bottles of Relish") to Victorian character study ("Thirteen At Table"), from horror (the creepy "Ghosts") to whimsical fantasy ("The Wonderful Window," the centaur-themed "Bride of the Man-Horse").

One of the good things about "In The Land of Time" is that except for Dunsany's war stories and club tales, just about every kind of fiction he wrote is in here. Fantasy, horror, regular fiction and invented myths -- this guy wrote 'em all. And editor S.T. Joshi does a pretty good job pulling together some of the best things Dunsany wrote. The main problem is that the collection is kind of serious. Since Dunsany could be very funny in some stories, this is leaving a big gap in the collection.

Like the fantasy writers who came after him, Dunsany dipped into myths that weren't his own (like "Charon," a memorable short story about the ferryman of the dead). At the same time, he wove his own legends and myths about gods and heroes, in a vaguely Middle-Eastern setting. If you didn't know better, you could almost believe that these legends were really from some crumbled desert city. And his slightly formal, sparklingly lush language only adds to this feeling.

"In the Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales" is a solid collection that shows nearly all of Lord Dunsany's considerable writing range. Dunsany's brilliant fantasy is a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: A rich collection of Dunsany's tales
Review: Lord Dunsany may never get the vast following of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, but he does have the distinction of being one of the first fantasy writers in history. "In The Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales" is a collection of various stories he wrote, drawing from all of Dunsany's writing.

Among the longish (none of Dunsany's stories is really long) is Dunsany's short novel "Gods of Pegana," a collection of Dunsany's invented myths for countries that never really existed, and the novella "Sword of Welleran," in which legends come to life, including the famed sword of a hero. Not to mention a vast variety of short stories ranging from murder mysteries ("Two Bottles of Relish") to Victorian character study ("Thirteen At Table"), from horror (the creepy "Ghosts") to whimsical fantasy ("The Wonderful Window," the centaur-themed "Bride of the Man-Horse").

One of the good things about "In The Land of Time" is that except for Dunsany's war stories and club tales, just about every kind of fiction he wrote is in here. Fantasy, horror, regular fiction and invented myths -- this guy wrote 'em all. And editor S.T. Joshi does a pretty good job pulling together some of the best things Dunsany wrote. The main problem is that the collection is kind of serious. Since Dunsany could be very funny in some stories, this is leaving a big gap in the collection.

Like the fantasy writers who came after him, Dunsany dipped into myths that weren't his own (like "Charon," a memorable short story about the ferryman of the dead). At the same time, he wove his own legends and myths about gods and heroes, in a vaguely Middle-Eastern setting. If you didn't know better, you could almost believe that these legends were really from some crumbled desert city. And his slightly formal, sparklingly lush language only adds to this feeling.

"In the Land of Time: And Other Fantasy Tales" is a solid collection that shows nearly all of Lord Dunsany's considerable writing range. Dunsany's brilliant fantasy is a must-read.